Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

The Rigid Tube as an Alternative in Controlling the Problematic Airway
Published on: June 6, 2020
Extubation force: tape versus endotracheal tube holders
Jestin Carlson1, James Mayrose, Richard Krause
1State University of New York at Buffalo, Department of Emergency Medicine, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Study Objective:
Tape is the standard method for securing endotracheal tubes to prevent extubation. This study examines the force required to extubate endotracheal tubes from cadavers with either tape or one of 4 commercially available endotracheal tube holders.
Methods:
Newly deceased, unembalmed cadavers were intubated with standard tracheal intubation techniques. The endotracheal tube was secured with either tape or one of 4 commercially available endotracheal tube holders. The endotracheal tube was then connected to a force-measuring device and pulled until the cuff was removed from the trachea. The largest force recorded on the device was then marked as the "extubation force" for that trial.
Results:
When tape was used to secure the endotracheal tube, it required a significantly larger force to extubate than 3 of 4 off-the-shelf endotracheal tube holders. Only the Thomas Tube Holder secured the endotracheal tube better than tape.
Conclusion:
Although the Thomas Tube Holder had the greatest holding force in this study, tape was shown to be the least expensive and outperformed 3 other commercially available devices used to secure endotracheal tubes.
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